Conference Sessions

Jason Leyendecker, AuD, graduated with his AuD from A.T. Still University class of 2010 and obtained a bachelor of science degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead. He is the owner of a private practice in Minnesota with seven locations in metro and rural areas. He also runs a successful tinnitus clinic. He serves as a volunteer for several audiology associations and is currently the Minnesota Academy of Audiology President and the secretary of the Minnesota Sight and Hearing Association. He also served as an adjunct professor for A.T. Still University teaching the tinnitus course from 2016 to 2019.

Anna Jilla, AuD, PhD, serves as the Jo Mayo Endowed Assistant Professor of Audiology in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. Dr. Jilla has medical audiology experience in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing and balance disorders across the lifespan. She comes with a highly unique and specialized knowledge in payer policy, public health, population-based data, and health economics. She completed her graduate studies at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and her post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Sarah Shepherd, AuD, is an Audiologist and Clinical Account Manager for MED-EL in the Northwest. She has worked with Cochlear Implant recipients in the clinic for over a decade, now serving MED-EL recipients and their families across the region. Her daily goal is to ensure all MED-EL recipients achieve their best outcome by collaborating with, and supporting, their hard-working and talented Audiologists.

Jasmin Rodriguez is a fourth-year AuD student at California State University Northridge (CSUN). She has been involved in local and national student organizations including the past President of her local SAA chapter, Member-at-Large, as Education Committee Chair for National SAA, and currently serves as President of the Student Academy of Doctors of Audiology (SADA). Affirming her dedication to spreading awareness and advancement of those who have an interest in the career of audiology.

Marjorie Meyer is a fourth-year audiology student at the University of the Pacific in San Francisco, California. She is currently completing her audiology externship at the University of Georgia and is a trainee of the Georgia State LEND program. She serves as the 2022-2023 chapter relations chair for the Student Academy of Audiology (SAA). Prior to this, she served as the 2021-2022 president of her university’s SAA chapter. Her clinical interests include pediatrics, vestibular disorders, and pathologies.

Rachel Allgor, AuD, is a clinical audiologist at Audiology Concepts and the Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Clinic of Minnesota. She has unilateral hearing loss and uses amplification on that side, though she is the first to admit that it took her a long time to wear her hearing aid full-time. Her professional passions include amplification for musicians and treating tinnitus, hyperacusis, and misophonia.

Daniel J. Romero, AuD, PhD, is an assistant professor and licensed audiologist for the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. His primary research interests focus on understanding the role of the vestibular system and its impacts on dizziness and cognition in adults with traumatic brain injury, as well as the application of objective detection algorithms in VEMP testing for use in vestibular screening. Dr. Romero serves as Treasurer for the American Balance Society, advisor for the SAA advisory committee, and is an ad-hoc reviewer for multiple scientific journals. He co-hosts a vestibular-focused podcast called a dose of dizzy.

Devon Weist, AuD, is an associate professor and the AuD program coordinator at the University of North Carolina. At UNC, she practices clinically, precepts students, and teaches within the AuD program. Dr. Weist received her Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Clinical Doctorate degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. Her primary areas of interest include audiologic and vestibular diagnostics, amplification, and counseling individuals with hearing and balance disorders. Dr. Weist is the past president (2018) of the Florida Academy of Audiology and served on the American Academy of Audiology Board of Directors as a member at large (2019-2022).